


You're the Gift that Keeps Givin'

by vampcoffeegyrl23



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 12 Days of Killervibe, Adorable Cisco Ramon, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cisco's feeling really really great, Doctor Caitlin Snow, F/M, Flirting over stitches, Hallmark style cheesiness, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, It's All Connected, Toy Store, hospital meet cute, singing Cisco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28310379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampcoffeegyrl23/pseuds/vampcoffeegyrl23
Summary: A Killervibe Christmas Hallmark fic, for the 12 Days of Killervibe event on tumblr. The classic doctor-patient meet-cute, with a little holiday cheer.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon/Caitlin Snow
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	You're the Gift that Keeps Givin'

**Author's Note:**

> As per how the year's been, a last-minute post for 12 Days of Killervibe. Also fitting for my 2020 theme, a "to be continued and hopefully updated/finished soon enough cuz I don't quite have it finished yet." Title, chapter title, and lyrics within from Sia's "Everyday Is Christmas." A festive moodboard I made to go with it as a treat, though some of the pictures won't make sense til the story's finished but hey consider it a chapter 2 tease I guess. Anyway, I hope it's enjoyable either way and here's to a better 2021 for everyone.

You're the Gift That Keeps Givin'

Part 1: You're the Joy in My Holiday Song

Another Christmas Eve, another late-night ER shift for Caitlin. Frostbite, cooking burns, accidental cuts, car accident injuries, electrical burns . . . just many of the typical holiday emergencies she saw every year. But holiday shifts were her tradition, volunteering so that her coworkers could spend time with their families. She didn’t mind, generally enjoying the feeling of helping her coworkers and being able to take care of and comfort her patients over the holidays. Even still, on top of that she was also covering a sick coworker’s shift so her single holiday shift turned into a double and she was _exhausted_. 

Just as she was about to shrug out of her lab coat and step into one of the empty on-call rooms for a nap, someone called to her from across the rather crowded hall - her friend and fellow doctor, Eliza.

“Snow, I know you were going to take a break, but I got another incoming for you. I would take it, but I’m on my way up to the ICU.”

She let out a sigh, staring at the empty bed longingly before turning back to Dr. Harmon. “Okay . . .”

“Routine minimal knife wounds, shouldn’t be too bad.” Eliza shrugged. “We still on for girl's night drinks with the others next week?” 

“Yes, please! After this weekend I’m _sooo_ gonna need it.” Caitlin huffed, already thinking about how dead she was going to be after the remaining holiday chaos - especially with the possibility of a big move ahead of her in the next few months. 

“Yay!” Eliza smirked. “Talk to ya later, Snow-y. The ICU’s probably wondering where I am.”

“Have fun!” Caitlin called after her friend as she hurried down the hall. Not long after, the familiar sound of sirens howled outside from the ambulance bay. She let out a breath, mentally willing the tired away as she grabbed a pair of medical gloves and headed toward the doors. Two paramedics who passed through frequently were already wheeling a gurney in. On the bed was a younger man, his clothes covered in blood. “What’ve we got, guys?” 

“Hispanic male, Cisco Ramon, approximately thirty years old - knife lacerations on both hands.”

She gently lay her hand on the patient's shoulder. “Mr. Ramon? I’m Dr. Snow - I know you’re in a lot of pain but we’re going to do everything we can to fix that.”

The patient was awake, screaming his head off as both of the paramedics each held gauze dressing over both his hands. He didn’t answer her, too lost in the pain to even acknowledge her.

“Self-inflicted?” Caitlin asked, following the paramedics down the hall into one of the trauma rooms. A team of nurses and interns followed her as well. 

“Accidental - little family mishap while cutting up the Christmas ham or something.” 

“Ah.” Caitlin nodded - this would be her eighth case of accidental holiday-related knife wounds of the shift. Soon enough the paramedics left and with the help of a little medication the patient calmed down. He’d actually fallen asleep while Caitlin was stitching up his hands. 

She sat alone in his trauma room, her forehead scrunched in concentration as she knitted his skin back together. The task was soothing, something to occupy her overtired mind. Luckily the cuts weren’t too deep and wouldn’t take too long to heal. His hands twitched and she froze, lifting the needle away. 

Her patient groaned, his eyes widening as he opened them and took in the sight of the woman next to him. “Oh god, my head . . . why is everything spinning?”

Caitlin pushed her chair back a little, setting the needle down on the tray beside her and pushing the lamp out of the way. He lifted his arms to his head but she grabbed hold of the wrist of the hand she wasn’t finished with. “Easy there, Mr. Ramon - that’s not going to feel so good in the long run.” 

Cisco squinted at her, staring at her intently. “Whoa . . . am I dead? ‘Cuz there’s this glowy light around your head - wait are you an angel?! I am dead, aren’t I?”

She chuckled, shaking her head at the slight slur in his voice. “That’s just the pain meds, silly. Mr. Ramon, do you remember what happened?”

“Why--I . . . I’m so confused.” He wriggled his nose. 

“You’re at Central City Memorial, brought in with cuts on your hands. Some kind of cooking accident?"

He winced, then let out a sigh.“Frack, that's right. Too many cousins running around when I was cutting the ham… For real though, your skin is, like, _glowing_ ." He looked down where she still held onto his half-stitched hand. "My brain can see your hand touching my wrist but are you even real? Am I talking to myself? Like if someone came into the room would they just see me? But since when do angels wear lab coats? You're so pretty….you _have_ to be an angel. Whoa, my own personal Christmas angel - you totally saved me from my crazy family."

Her eyes softened, her imagination taking over. "Did someone hurt you? Is that how you got cut?"

"Wha-no way!" He laughed, rolling his eyes. "I stepped on one of my little cousin's toys and stupidly tried to catch the knife when it slipped out of my hands.” The corners of his mouth twisted up proudly, “Let me tell you, I've never seen my mom, my aunts, and my grandma all nearly pass out from the sight of blood at the same time. It was pretty impressive if I do say so myself.”

Caitlin laughed with him. She scooted her chair back toward him, pulling the lamp back. “Full house for the holidays, huh?” 

“Oh yeah, every year.” He rolled his eyes. “My parents’ house is always home base for holidays - and not just because my mom makes the best food.”

“Everyone knows where to go, right.” She picked up the needle again as he talked, back to her stitching. 

“For sure!" He watched her as she worked and she blushed. "Dr. Snow, you're _so_ good at that. Are you a surgeon?"

She chuckled, "Definitely not, just an ordinary medical doctor."

"I still think you're an angel…" He sighed, tilting his head and beaming at her. The pink in her cheeks deepened, which only made his smile wider. "My own personal Christmas angel, healing me and making my spirits brighter. You know, I think if you were near me everyday, everyday would feel like Christmas. _Oh….everyday is Christmas…._ " He started singing as she continued stitching: 

_"Oh, everyday is Christmas when you're here with me_

_I'm safe in your arms, you're my angel, baby_

_Everyday is Christmas when you're by my side_

_You're the gift that keeps givin', my angel for life_

_Everyday is Christmas, everyday is Christmas_

_Everyday is Christmas with you by my side…"_

Caitlin couldn't help the warm feeling that came over her as he sang, even without how beautiful his voice was on its own. She knew the pain medication they'd given him had lowered his inhibitions, but even still she found herself affected by it. She hadn’t had much Christmas spirit lately, drowning herself in her work to chase away the loneliness that always plagued her during the holidays. With every verse that Cisco crooned, the ice around her the walls of her heart melted just a little bit more. 

“Dr. Snow, I think this song was written for me -- for you.” He drawled, leaning his head against her shoulder. 

Caitlin’s hand froze, stilling the needle. “Oh boy - meds are really working, huh?” 

A giggle escaped his lips, and he continued singing:

_“Oh, you're my love_

_You're the joy in my holiday song_

_And when you smile I can't breathe_

_Can't believe that you're mine_

_Sitting by the open fire_

_Lovin' you is a gift tonight_

_Lovin' you for all my life_

_Lovin' you is a gift tonight_

_Ooooooh, everyday is Christmas--”_

  
  


Caitlin raised an eyebrow, “You do know it is Christmas now right - it’s Christmas Eve. Or, actually, it’s past midnight so now it’s Christmas Day.”

“-- _when you’re here with me_...Dr. Snow, did you know that you’re the joy in my holiday song?” He went on with the song, but Caitlin couldn’t help but to giggle - not to mention keep blushing - with how serious his tone was. “Say, Dr. Snow, how come you’re here on Christmas anyway?” Her smile faded as her fingers paused their suturing. “Uh-oh, I made my Christmas angel sad . . .”

She shook her head, resuming her work on his hand. “No, it’s nothing - really. I volunteered to work this weekend. In fact, I always do. Bit of an unconventional holiday tradition of mine. For a few years now, actually.” He was quiet after that, and Caitlin glanced up to find him staring at her. His eyes were wide, with his mouth hanging open slightly. He was more alert than Caitlin had seen from him since the paramedics brought him, as if the pain meds had suddenly left his system altogether even though she knew scientifically that it would be hours before that would be true. “You okay, Mr. Ramon?” 

“But . . . b-but how?” His forehead scrunched. “How do you get out of family Christmas _every_ year? My mom - not to mention my grandma - would flip her lid if I even mentioned the possibility of being late. To not show up at all, even for work? No way, I’d be in a grave by New Years’.”

Caitlin’s head dropped, a sigh escaping her lips. “Well, Christmas isn’t really as big a deal in the Snow family. Or, at all. Half the time, my mother doesn’t even remember it’s Christmas until well after New Years so . . . She’s always really busy at her lab, this time of year especially. And it’s just us, my mom and me, so I usually just volunteer to work so my coworkers can be home with their families. Her assistant usually sends a card late, sometimes we’ll talk on the phone either before or after New Years’ just to keep up..” 

“Oh.” Cisco deflated, frowning. “That’s . . . Well, that’s neither holly nor jolly.”

“It’s okay, really. I like being able to be here to take care of my patients on Christmas - like you, Mr. Ramon. Otherwise, you might’ve been stuck with some of my grouchy grinchy coworkers to stitch you up instead.” She winked, cutting the thread on the needle and finishing it up. “There, all done. And I might be biased, but my stitchwork is definitely cleaner than the other doctors. I bet you’ll barely have any scarring.” She picked up the roll of gauze, wrapping up his hands. 

“Nicely done, doc.” He held up his hands, cringing. “Gah! Note to self, it still hurts!” 

“Aw, you’re not going to wuss out on me now, are you?” She snickered.

“Wuss? Who’s a wuss?” He grumbled, and she just giggled as she discarded the used gloves.

She rose to her feet, resting her hand on his shoulder. “Okay, you should be all set then. Stop at the reception desk on your way out and schedule an appointment for about ten or so days from now and we’ll take the stitches out.”

“It’s a date! Oh Dr. Snow, won't you be mine?” He tilted his head against her arm, sighing dramatically. 

Caitlin stilled, their eyes locking from where she stood above him. It honestly seemed like she knew Cisco, had known him for ages. Sure, he was still high as a kite from the pain meds but that didn’t change who he was or how much his charm was affecting her. Or the feeling that she could easily both see herself falling for him and tell that they could be really close friends even without considering their feelings. 

. . . But it just wasn’t meant to be. He was her patient, and because he was affected by the pain meds it was likely he wouldn’t even remember ever meeting her later. And none of that even covered the very real possibility that her job would be transferred somewhere else in the new year and she’d never see him again. 

“You take care, Mr. Ramon. Enjoy the rest of your holidays while you still can.” She patted his shoulder gently and headed for the door, ignoring how much it hurt to walk away from him.

“I’m going to see you again, right Dr. Snow? ‘Cuz we have a connection, can you feel it?” 

Caitlin paused just outside the hall, turning back. “Look, if our meet-cute really was a fated Christmas miracle, then we’ll find each other again. You just have to believe. Isn’t that how all the cheesy rom-com Hallmark Christmas movies go?”

And with barely a glance at his adorable love-struck face, she let her feet carry her away from the room. 

It was only a few hours later at the end of her shift that she received the official transfer order. Really, she should have known that it would come at the worst possible time. She would have barely any time to pack and travel, as she was scheduled for a shift already at her new hospital on the twenty-seventh of December. She wouldn’t even get to spend the last days of the year with her friends or even say a proper goodbye. Forget even entertaining the possibility of getting to know Cisco Ramon more, much less anything else. She was furious, but the transfer order was final and it would be pointless to try and fight it. 

Carrying a box of everything that had been in her locker, she made her way out after her shift. She passed by the reception desk and saw Cisco with a man a few years older than him who looked exactly like him - possibly a brother? Cisco was half-asleep in a wheelchair, mumbling something she couldn’t quite catch, while the older man scheduled a follow-up appointment. She’d already be at her new hospital by then. The thought was disappointing, though she found herself unable to stop grinning as she watched him doze off in his chair while the older man wheeled him out.

She’d told him if they were meant to be, they’d find their way back to each other but as much as it hurt to think about it seemed less and less a possibility.

With a sigh, she continued out the doors of Central City Memorial for the last time. 

_to be continued..._

**Author's Note:**

> A very befitting 2020 ending, right? But it's not over yet! This is a KV holiday movie after all, and they'll have their cheesy happy ending reunion. If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays. 🙂❤


End file.
